Device for store-service apparatus.



F. D. POWELL. DEVICE FOR STORE SERVICE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13', 1910.

1,096,053, Patented May12, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PA'IENT OFFXQEQ FRANK D. POWELL, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMSON COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914:-

Application filed May 13, 1910. Serial No. 561,238.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. POWELL, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to safety devices for store service apparatus, and more especially to improvements in such apparatus designed to obviate danger to operatives or others in the event of breakage of certain parts of said apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, I- have exemplified a preferred form of my invention; although I am aware that changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved snatch block; showing the same as used in connection with the propelling cord of a carrier projecting apparatus or mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of said block. Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof; the pulley being shown unsectioned. Fig. at is a vertical central transverse section of said block. Fig. 5 is a per spective view of the block showing the manner in which the broken cord engages with the safety provisions thereof; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a member which constitutes the preferred embodiment of said provisions.

In wire-line store service apparatus, for example, it is customary to provide a snatch block in connection with the carrier propelling mechanism located at the stations from which carriers are to be projected; and attention is invited to the patent to Thompson, 800,416, dated September 26, 1905, which illustrates the use of said blocks in apparatus of this character. It happens occasionally, however, that the propelling cord upon which the snatch block is mounted breaks while in use and the snatch block, being thereupon free to fall, is capable, owing to its weight, of delivering a severe and pos sibly a dangerous blow to the operative or to a bystander.

The improved snatch block herein described is particularly adapted to co-act with this carrier propelling cord so that in the event of rupture of the latter, a part carried by the block, or portions thereof, will effectively engage some part of the broken cord and thereby prevent further fall of said block; avoiding what might possibly otherwise be a serious accident.

In the drawings: The snatch block has been broadly designated A; said block being provided with a depending chamber B of usual construction and with an upper frame C, also of usual construction, in which the pulley B is located; said pulley being mounted upon a pin or axle A. A carrier propelling rope E passes around the pulley in a known manner; but closely adjacent thereto within the frame C is secured a preferably metallic member F which may beheld in place by a screw Gr; said member being forked at its opposite ends or portions H, as best shown in Fig, 6. The object of thus forking the ends of this member is to afford a safety provision for catching or looking the rope E to the block in case of breakage of said rope upon either side thereof.

Heretofore, as above stated, when the rope E of a carrier propelling mechanism would chance to break, the snatch block of such mechanism would frequently drop either upon some person in the store, or it might fall upon a show case; entailing financial loss to the proprietor of the store. Accidents of this character tend to discredit apparatus of the kind in question and such an 7 of such an accident obviously marks an improvement in the art.

The preferred safety provisions are exceedingly simple and inexpensive in character and by reason of the oppositely directed forked ends respectively disposed adjacent substantially opposite sides of the pulley, whether the rope breaks upon one side or the other of the block is immaterial; since in either case the cord is effectively grasped and the snatch block thereby prevented from falling farther.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction em= bodying the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a propelling cord for said carrier, and a snatch block suspended on said cord intermediate its ends and provided with oppositely arranged forked parts for locking the snatch block to the rope upon the breaking of the rope.

:2. In a store service apparatus a way, a carrier adapted to travel. on said way, a propelling cord for said carrier, and a snatch block suspended. on said cord intermediate its ends and provided with oppositely arranged means for locking the snatch block to the rope upon the breaking of the rope.

8. In store service apparatus, a carrier propelling cord and a snatch block suspended thereon having prwisions for looking said cord thereto only upon breakage of the latter, whereby to still suspend said block from a port-ion of said cord after said breakage, said cord being normally freely movable through said block.

4. In store service apparatus, a carrier propelling cord, and a snatch block suspended thereon having therein a pulley and means, portions of which are disposed adjacent substantially opposite sides of said pulley, for grasping said cord at one or the other of said portions when breakage of said cord occurs, said cord being engaged by one or the other of said port-ions in accordance with the disposition of the breakage point in said cord with respect to said block,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses this 22nd day of April A. D. 1910; p

FRANK D. POWELL.

\Vitnesses LOUISE G. EAsToN, N. L. DONAHUE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the olnini ssionr oi Patents, Washington D. C. 

